Community

LGN supports MWL clothing drive

LGN attorneys and staff were proud to again donate clothing, jewelry, handbags, shoes, and cosmetics to the Minnesota Women Lawyers (MWL) Clothing Drive in support of the Tubman Center and Dress for Success, which will provide them to low-income women seeking jobs.

Dress for Success empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. The Tubman Center helps women, children and families throughout the Twin Cities struggling with relationship violence, substance abuse and mental health.

LGN is proud to announce that partner Gregory J. Myers has been elected to the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities. Greg will serve a three-year term and sit on the organization’s Finance Committee. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities provides children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported, 1-to-1 relationships with adults. In 2016, the organization served nearly 2,500 Twin Cities youths through community-based mentoring, site-based mentoring, enrichment activities, college and career preparation events, workforce readiness offerings, and teen pregnancy prevention programming.

LGN Associates Support Legal Aid

LGN associates were proud to have attained 100% participation in support of the Legal Aid One Hour of Sharing Campaign. Started in 2003 by a group of associates in Hennepin County, the One Hour of Sharing Campaign funds 1.5 FT attorneys that help people gain access to representation in housing court, domestic violence cases, immigration help and more. LGN worked with associates across the Twin Cities, and together they exceeded their funding goal and raised $96,700 in December 2016 and January 2017. Associates Kate Baxter-Kauf and Scott Moriarity chaired LGN’s effort, and the firm will be recognized at the Annual Law Day Dinner along with other firms achieving 100% participation.

LGN hosts Minnesota Chapter of the American Constitution Society for a panel discussion on the “Gavel Gap” and increasing judicial diversity in Minnesota.

LGN hosted the Minnesota Chapter of the American Constitution Society (ACS) on January 18th for a discussion on the importance of judicial diversity in our justice system. The discussion featured Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge Peter Reyes, Ramsey County District Court Judge Nicole Starr, Hennepin County District Court Judge Tanya Bransford, as well as Lidya Makonnen and Cumah Blake, from the Office of Governor Mark Dayton.

The discussion, facilitated by Saraswati Singh from the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, focused on a study compiled by ACS showing troubling differences between the race and gender composition of the courts and the communities they serve. The panelists discussed their own experiences on the bench, as well as the efforts by Governor Dayton to ensure that the composition of our courts better reflects the diversity of our communities in Minnesota.

The event was co-hosted by the ACLU, the Hispanic Bar Association, the Lavender Bar Association, and the Ramsey County Bar Association.